Small insectivores are increasingly represented in zoo collections, particularly in nocturnal houses. Their welfare requires appropriate temperature, humidity, foraging complexity and respect for their nocturnal ecology.
Small insectivore welfare is challenging because these animals' extreme metabolic demands mean that welfare deterioration from inadequate feeding, temperature or housing can be rapid and severe. A shrew that cannot access food continuously will die within hours; a hedgehog allowed to hibernate at the wrong time of year may fail to emerge. Their nocturnal nature means daytime exhibit observation is inherently stressful for the animals or requires artificial day-night reversal. Species-appropriate care requires investment in complex foraging environments, precise temperature management, and feeding protocols that match metabolic requirements. These animals are often underestimated - excellent small mammal welfare requires as much knowledge as that of large mammals.